Advancing Cancer Control in Vietnam

Vietnam

The project aimed to reduce cancer incidence, mortality and morbidity, and to improve the quality of life for cancer patients in Vietnam. This was achieved through improvement and enhancement of radiotherapy services in two of Vietnam's five major referral cancer hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The grant proceeds contributed to improve cancer primary prevention, promote early detection, improve treatment effectiveness and palliative care, provide human resources training, develop science research and reinforce the health information recording system. The project implementation was successfully completed. Breast and cervical cancers are one of the leading cancers for women in Viet Nam. Early detection, combined with timely quality treatment, improves breast and cervical cancer outcomes. The project encompassed two major provinces in the country; Hanoi, in northern Vietnam with a municipal population of around 7 million people and Can Tho in the west of the country, with a population of about 1.2 million people. Local authorities at the district, communal and regional levels and the Ministry of Health (MoH) were the main stakeholders in the project with technical and financial support from the IAEA Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) through the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). The main results achieved are as follows: Health education schemes to improve community awareness were implemented. Overall, 48000 leaflets, 440 posters and 110 banners were disseminated and 2 radio spots were broadcasted. Training has a three-level healthcare system. The primary level includes district health centres, community health stations and village health workers. A workshop was conducted for the training of primary healthcare staff at the community health care facilities in Hanoi and Can Tho. Training for healthcare workers were mainly in performing clinical breast examinations and testing for cervical cancer with a low-cost technique known as Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA). VIA is an effective, inexpensive screening test to detect pre-cancerous lesions, which are easily treatable with cryotherapy, a cost-effective and feasible approach which can prevent cervical cancer in women aged 25–64. 446 health care workers at primary care level were trained in developing skills in recognizing the early symptoms of breast and cervical cancer and in performing screening tests. This includes 218 health care professionals from 9 Hanoi area districts (Dan Phuong, Thach That, Cau Giay, Long Bien, Ha Dong, Bac Tu Liem, Chuong My, Thanh Oai and Phu Xuyen) and 128 health care professionals from 5 area districts of Can Tho (Ninh Kieu; Cai Rang; Binh Thuy; O Mon, Thoi Lai) received training. A project management team was established. A detailed proposal, work plan and reporting mechanism, including detailed roles and responsibilities of project staff in implementation were developed. 25587 women in the target demographic from 64 communes in Hanoi and 46 communes in Can Tho were screened for cervical and breast cancer, resulting in the diagnostic follow up and, if necessary, treatment of cervical and breast cancer. Each commune designated a health professional to support the follow–up of VIA positive women and referrals to district or provincial healthcare institutions. A screening registry system was established for data entry, analysis and monitoring. Managers and coordinators reviewed progress on a monthly basis and addressed implementation challenges, as they occurred. Managers and coordinators also monitored screening practices to ensure protocol compliance. The coordinators prepared progress reports to the Ministry of Health on a quarterly basis.